


Rest

by s0meperson



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Past Relationship(s), Regret, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 14:03:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8211158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/s0meperson/pseuds/s0meperson
Summary: Judy needed to tell Nick something important. His response wasn't what she'd hoped for. With a new understanding, the only option was simple. So very, very simple. Move on.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by nicolaswildes' comic: http://nicolaswildes.tumblr.com/post/149527840480/wouldnt-dream-of-it-context-is-for-losers
> 
> Their art and comics are very good, and everyone should check them out!

_“I’m not saying any of this to hurt you._  
_You know you mean more to me than anyone in the whole world…”_

_“You’re right._  
_You are right, and I was… just… not thinking straight._  
_In the heat of the moment… I guess.”_

_“It’s just your weird bunny urges talking._  
_You can do better than me.”_

_“I’m fine with this._  
_I’m just happy to be friends.”_

_“...”_

_“Me too.”_

*****

Nick was awoken from his slumber by his alarm clock’s shrill cries. He sluggishly rolled his head to the side as he forced his eyes open. The bitter sting of the air caused him to shut them as his right hand fumbled around on the nightstand. He cracked his eyes open just enough to lock onto his target, and reached out to silence the clock’s cries. He got a view of the time on the clock, which read 9:00am, before lying still on his back and staring at the ceiling. The sounds of Savannah Central’s city life slowly crept into Nick’s ears, making him groan. “Not even today, huh?” he muttered to himself as he threw off the covers. 

He trudged past the clutter on the floor and made his way into the bathroom. The overhead light flickered on as he pulled open the medicine cabinet. Its hinges creaked as he grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste. He began brushing as he stared at himself in the dirty mirror on the cabinet. The red in his eyes nearly matched his coat, which also complimented the rings under his eyes. The frayed ends and slightly-matted patches of fur on his coat were also a good touch. He spat out the mixture, cleaned and put away his toothbrush, and grabbed a cup near the kitchen sink to rinse out his mouth. He was careful to control the flow of water, lest it inevitably bounce off the never-ending pile of soiled dishware lying within. Finally, he walked over to his bed and dropped onto his back, staring at the ceiling once more. 

Nick let out a quiet huff as he lied there. It was becoming much too routinely, at this point. He was fine with it the first day. He was okay with it after the next couple days. He was even marginally accepting of it happening through the first week. But this was week two, and nothing was getting any better. “It’s my day off, give me a break,” he said as he dug himself underneath the covers and rolled onto his side. “Maybe I’ll just lie the day away,” he reasoned with himself, and heaved a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes. 

_**How could you do this to me?**_

“Yeah, that’s what I’ll do.” He loosely wrapped his arms around himself as he drifted off to sleep, once more.

*********

Nick’s cellphone started to ring. He grumbled as he yanked the covers off him and looked at the alarm clock. It read 10:45am. He turned his attention to the ringing phone near the kitchen. He walked towards the countertop and lifted up the device, ready to give the caller a piece of his mind. Upon reading the caller’s name, however, he froze. Carrots, the screen read, coupled with the delightful picture of him and his friend. He swallowed the lump in his throat and turned the phone away, placing it back down, but stopped himself. He slowly turned it back towards him. _Just gotta get it over with_ , he told himself as he rubbed his finger over the green button. 

“Hello?” he began, adding a bit of slur for effect.

“Nick? Hi. It’s… it’s me. Did I wake you up?”

“Oh, no no. I, uh, just woke up a little bit ago.” He paused to scratch behind his ears. “How’s it going?”

“It’s alright. Y’know. Same old, same old.”

“Okay, that’s good…” Neither mammal said a word for a brief moment until Nick began, “So… you need something?”

“Oh, right!” Judy replied, her voice spiking briefly. “Today’s your day off, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Great! Uh… I thought maybe it would be nice if we had lunch together. Does Bug-Burga work for you?”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “You want to go to _Bug-Burga?_ ”

“They have salads there, I can manage.”

Nick briefly chuckled.

“Besides… I’d really like to talk to you, and catch up on things.”

“Yeah, it’s been a whole…” he paused and grinned as he looked at his phone’s screen. “Thirteen hours since we saw each other at work.”

“That’s just it, though,” she flatly replied, causing Nick’s smile to fade. “Work doesn’t give us any time to just talk. Aside from that… you haven’t replied to any of my texts for a while now.”

His eyes lit up as he recalled the log of ignored messages, then he sighed. “Judy… I’m sorry. I… I saw them and told myself to reply, it’s just—”

“It’s okay, really. We’re both busy, I get that. That’s why I thought having lunch together would be decent enough for now. And… I think it would help if we both had a decent talk about all this.”

Nick lied on his bed and stared at the ceiling once more.

“I just… I really want to put this behind us. Then we can work on being friends.”

He gripped the bedsheets. “Yeah…” He then took a deep breath and sat himself upright. “You’re right. Let’s do lunch.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’d like to talk to you, too.”

“Alright!” she replied, her voice perking up. “How does 12:30 at the Bug-Burga off of 47th sound?”

“Sounds like a plan, to me.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then!”

“‘Til then, Carrots.” He ended the call, looking at the contact picture until it vanished. As he locked the screen, he gazed at the vague reflection of his face from the screen. Nick then straightened up and walked into the bathroom again, looking himself over and realizing the shape he was in. “Gotta fix this, and fast,” he told himself as he turned on the shower head.

*********

As he walked towards Bug-Burga, he paused one last time to look in a nearby shop window’s reflection. His sunglasses shined perfectly, his fur looked passable, and his teal shirt / khaki pants combination looked, in his eyes, flawless. He puffed up his chest, then walked into the restaurant. He took a moment to look around himself. Despite his best effort, he couldn’t find that familiar pair of rabbit ears within the sea of mammals. Suddenly, as the door opened behind him, he heard a familiar voice say, “Hey!”

His ears perked up as he turned around. Judy stood before him, wearing a black tank-top and blue shorts. She smiled as she approached him, hands crossed behind her back. “Wearing sunglasses indoors. What would your mother think, Mr. Wilde?”

He quickly looked her over before smiling and cocking his head back. “That she raised a free thinker, daring enough to defy social norms.”

“I’m sure. Were you waiting here long?”

“Not too long, I was just looking for you.” Right on cue, Judy’s stomach rumbled. She laughed for a short moment as Nick shook his head. “Perfect timing, it seems. Let’s not keep that monster waiting.” They turned towards the front counter and waited in a short line before finally placing their order and finding a small table towards the back wall. As they walked, Nick’s eyes widened as an odd smell crossed his path. It smelt strongly like lavender perfume, and he started to subtly sniff the air until his eyes led him towards Judy.

Her ears twitched and she turned in his direction. “Something smell good?”

He recoiled slightly and replied, “No, well… yes, but not the food. I was just noticing that new perfume you’re wearing. Is it lavender or something?”

Judy raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Well, aren’t _you_ well versed in your scents.”

“What can I say? I’m a natural.”

With a roll of her eyes, she replied, “You’re on the nose, but it’s not new. I’ve worn it before.”

Nick’s smile vanished. “You have?”

“Yeah. I wear it regularly. Just not at work.”

“Huh…” He kept quiet as he walked alongside Judy towards their table. He took window seat, while she took the opposite. When they sat down, they both looked at each other, then slowly averted their gazes, trying to find things to keep occupied.

Then Judy looked out the window and deadpanned as she groaned lightly. “Every time I see those, I get so antsy,” she commented as she rested her head on her paw.

Nick raised an eyebrow and turned around. He saw the row of parking meters, several of which were red. He smiled and said, “Old habits die hard, eh Carrots?” Then he turned back around and froze as he saw Judy staring at him, her eyes slightly narrowing. He tilted his head and asked, “Something wrong?”

After a brief hesitation, she asked, “Can you… take off your sunglasses for a second?”

He froze and stared back, quickly realizing what was up. “Uh… we… don’t really need to do that. I just want to keep them on.”

“Nick…”

“There’s a glare, and it’s gonna shine into my eyes if—”

“Can you please just do it?” she asked firmly.

Nick stared at her for a moment longer as his ears lowered. _Guess a quick fix doesn’t beat a bunny’s sight_ , he cursed as he slowly removed it from atop his snout, revealing the condition his eyes were in.

She stared for a moment longer and asked, “Nick, is everything okay?”

He dragged his claws along the underside of the table as he replied, “Yeah, everything’s fine. I just… kinda got caught up with some new shows online. You start with one episode, and suddenly it’s morning, but you know all the going-ons of Pitchfield Penitentiary, y’know what I mean? I just don’t want people freaking out when they see me. Case in point,” he added, gesturing towards her.

Judy’s ears drooped as she slightly gripped her right paw into a fist before leaning back into her seat, turning away. “Y-yeah, I get it. I-I’ve had my guilty TV binge nights, too.” She chuckled weakly before dead silence returned between them. Nick rubbed the back of his neck as he put his sunglasses back on. He started to tap his claws on the table when Judy said, “Nick, I… um. I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“We had something really good, and then I… had to go and open my mouth. It just made things weird between us.”

Nick straightened up. “N-no, it didn’t do that at all,” he insisted.

She looked at him, tilting her head. “Nick… I haven’t heard from you in two weeks. Are you seriously saying _nothing_ has changed between us?”

“I-I, uh…”

“Because a _lot_ has changed! Has your ‘binge watching’ has made saying ‘hi’ or ‘hello’ to me a bother, or something? We’ve gone through more together than any other partners in the ZPD. After all that and everything else, are you trying to tell me it’s just a _coincidence_?”

He opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. He glanced around and saw the growing stares of other animals pointed in their direction. Nick’s ears folded back as he opted to press himself against the back of his seat.

Judy sighed as she rested her head on her hand. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be this angry.” She slumped in her chair, still looking away. “I’m really trying to see us as just friends.” Her nose started to twitch. “Things were so good back then. We did our work, had a great time together, and helped out so many mammals in town. Then I just _had_ to go and confess to you, and look at where we are now…”

Nick could see her bite the edge of her lip. He shook his head and began, “No no no, don’t blame yourself, okay? You really _did_ have to say something.”

She looked up at him.

“I’m serious,” he stated as he removed his sunglasses. “If you didn’t, those thoughts would just spin in your head, right? You’d be absolutely miserable, just thinking about it day in and day out.”

Judy looked away. “I guess,” she replied half-heartedly. “Still doesn’t feel any better.”

Nick took a breath. “I can imagine. You’re right though. I could’ve done better about keeping in touch. It couldn’t have been good on you, and I’m sorry about that."

“It’s been rough. I’m really trying to push forward, though.”

As she remained in that position, Nick smiled. “Hey, if Zootopia’s first rabbit officer can crack a major case, _and_ uncover a conspiracy within her first year on the force, she can do this, too.” She wouldn’t budge. “For what it’s worth, I don’t want to stop spending time with you either. And I _especially_ don’t want you blaming yourself for this, okay? You did nothing wrong.”

She sighed, forming a small smile when she finally looked up at him. “Okay, I’ll try not to.”

He smiled and patted her on the shoulder. “There’s the Hopps I know.”

Judy shook her head. “You know I considered looking at a dating site?”

Nick’s jaw nearly dropped.

“Emphasis on _considered_.”

“Wouldn’t that be something?” he chuckled. “Just imagine you go to meet your date, and ‘Oops!’ it’s that one guy I arrested a couple months ago.”

With a laugh, Judy replied, “I thought that too, and I just… I stopped right away. Never know who’s who online.

“Order number 57!” a voice read over the intercom.

Judy looked at her receipt. “That’s me. I’ll be right back.”

Nick scoffed. “Can’t believe a rabbit’s being served before me at a _predator_ establishment. Can I even call discrimination here?”

“Maybe next time order a salad,” she remarked with a laugh.

As Judy walked off, Nick slumped back in his seat and heaved a sigh of relief. _Bit of a scare, but a decent result_. He put his sunglasses back on and then heard his number announced on the loudspeaker. _She’s gonna be just fine_ , he told himself as he stood up from the table.

*********

“I swear, he had five bags of the stuff stashed away in his pants, like we weren’t going to notice!” Judy said as they walked home from the Bug-Burga.

“Smugglers,” Nick scoffed, “They never fail to amaze me.”

“You should’ve seen his face when we said we were going to do a strip search. I wish I’d thought to take a picture.”

“Pictures of stripping convicts? I didn’t know you were into that.”

“Very funny,” she said with a forced laugh and a light elbow to his side. Soon enough, they reached a street corner, and Judy stopped in place before turning towards Nick. “My apartment’s this way,” she said, pointing to their left. Judy rocked back and forth for a moment before saying, “I’ll see you later, and… thank you for coming out here today,” she remarked with a smile. “I really appreciate it.”

Nick shrugged. “As if I’d say no to lunch with my best friend.”

Judy reached her arms out. “Is a hug still okay?”

Nick briefly laughed and shook his head. “As if you even have to ask.” He leaned down and hugged his friend, then pulled away. “If you’re feeling down about anything, don’t hesitate to talk to me. I’ll always be around to listen.”

Judy’s ears slightly drooped. “And… it won’t make you uncomfortable, or anything?”

“It won’t,” he replied, patting her on the shoulder. “Don’t you worry.”

“Okay,” she replied with a nod. “Thanks again, Nick. See you later!” Then she waved as she headed off.

Nick sighed contently as he watched her walk. He turned around and began the journey towards his apartment. The images of her happiness flashed through his mind, making his smile grow. It stopped abruptly, however, when he remembered the look on her face from that night. He groaned and rubbed his temple. _Come on, brain. It’s finally a nice day, don’t ruin it now._

Unfortunately, it was too late. He began replaying the fateful series of events. It had been a normal day, back then. Normal police work, normal casual conversations, normal police takedowns, even the normal walk home. Then she cleared her throat, and the day was _anything_ but normal. He shook his head, vividly remembering the way she turned away, covering her face with her ears, to hide the tears in her eyes. Then he thought of the hug after the encounter, how he could feel her shaking as she held onto his arm. By this point, he dragged himself up the stairs to his door and unlocked it before walking inside.

Standing in the doorway, he looked at the mess around him. He took a deep breath and shut the door behind him. He dropped himself onto his small couch. “It’s better this way,” he muttered as he grabbed the remote to his TV. “She’s happy now… smiling, even.” He sunk into his seat and hit the power button.

_**Don’t you ever talk to me again!** _

“That’s what matters most.”

*********

In the days that passed, Nick and Judy talked much more frequently. Whether it be through texts, passing each other at work, or during their few bits of free time together. It started to become his most-anticipated time of the day. He also noticed Judy became more relaxed around him, as the days went by. His sleep cycle was still spotty, but at least he was able to wake up in an alright mood.

Today, in particular, Nick was zipping around the house, straightening up the neglected piles of trash and misplaced objects. He glanced at the clock, which read 2:17. _Gotta hurry!_ he thought, as he rapidly scrubbed away the dirty dishes in his sink. Quick as a flash, he had worked through piles of dirty clothes, trash that missed the bin, and dusted over all surfaces within the vicinity. He let out a sigh as he looked across his now-spotless apartment. Then he looked to his clock again, which read 2:56.

Then there was a knock at the door. Of course she’d be here early. He walked to the door, then froze as he reached for the knob. He slowly pulled his hand away and said, “That you, Carrots?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” she replied. “You gonna let me in? ‘Cause I can get cozy with the door, if you want.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. I just gotta take care of one more thing.”

“Why Nick, I didn’t think you kept _dirty magazines_ out in the open,” she stated rather loudly.

Nick replied with a forceful laugh. “Rabbit comedy is the best comedy,” he stated as he headed towards his bathroom and looked at his reflection. His cleanliness and overall condition looked passable. He held the sides of the sink and stared directly into the mirror. “It’s just today,” he murmured. “Talk, make things normal, then see her off. We _both_ need this.” He nodded to himself one more time before approaching the front door and turning the handle. “Well howdy, howdy, Carrots,” he began, leading Judy inside.

“And a howdy to you too,” she replied.

As she passed by, that lavender scent filled his nose again.

“So what is this movie you said I _need_ to see?”

With a smile, he held up a DVD. “Tundra Godfathers, one of the best movies no one talks about.”

“Is it _actually_ good?”

“Absolutely! Once this is done, you’ll want to watch it again, and make everyone you know watch it, too.” He placed the movie down on the countertop and headed for the refrigerator. “So what tickles your fancy, Carrots? Water, or juice?”

“Juice is fine,” Judy replied, heading to the couch.

Nick grabbed a bottle of blackberry juice and poured her a glass. He got water for himself, then handed her the juice as he got the movie set up.

“Mmmm, blackberry’s such an underrated flavor!” she commented as she licked her lips. She happily guzzled her drink, which caused him to smile from cheek to cheek as he set the movie up and sat down “Don’t go too hard on the juice, now.”

“You have a whole bottle of this.”

Nick stuck up his snout. “Well, if you’re gonna drink all my juice, you should be able to pay for it.” He peered his gaze towards her, witnessing her best pout as she blinked several times. “Don’t give me the eyes, Hopps,” he scoffed. “You can have it. I hate blackberry, anyway.”

“You do?”

“It always tasted bitter to me.”

Judy looked at her drink, then back at him. “So why do you have it?”

He opened his mouth to explain, but stopped. _Why did I get it?_ He quickly shrugged and said, “Well, _obviously_ you were going to be here, and you might like something nice to drink. I try to be accommodating to my guests.”

She stared at him for a moment, then a gentle smile grew on her face as she replied, “Thanks, Nick.”

He slowly allowed himself to reflect her smile with one of his own. “Any time.”

“I’m gonna go grab the bottle.” She got up and walked to the fridge.

Meanwhile, Nick tapped his fingers against his forehead. Had he picked the juice up and not realized it? He remembered going to the store, he remembered seeing the juice on the shelf, he also remembered the various blackberry food and drink products she had whenever they’d spend time together. _That’s all it is, it was just… just for her_ , he justified.

Judy returned and sat back down on the couch. “Let’s get this started!” she chimed in.

He looked at her and nodded. “Yeah, you’re gonna love this.” He grabbed the remote, and started the movie.

Tundra Godfathers was a movie about three homeless mammals; A stumpy polar bear, a slender panther, and a teenage wolf, who happen to find a baby seal in a pile of garbage. They spend most of the movie going through various trials, putting the few clues left behind together, as they hope to find the baby’s parents.

Throughout the movie, Nick and Judy made bits of small-talk and gave little pieces of commentary through different moments in the film. At one point, Judy adjusted herself and leaned back into the couch, lightly touching Nick’s arm with her shoulder. He peered down to look at the contact, she only paid attention to the screen. He went back to looking at the screen, then quickly looked down again. He lifted his arms up and rested them on the area behind them. To his relief, Judy didn’t even flinch. He silently drew in a deep breath before taking another drink of his water.

Much later into the film, while stopping off at a hospital, a revelation was made, causing the panther and the polar bear to spit scathing words at each other. Through their arguing, Nick started to see two familiar foxes in place of both predators. _Not now! Please, not now!_ he begged as he gripped the arm of his couch. On one side was a vindictive vixen with contempt in her gaze, and malice in her snarl. The other side showed a pleading fox as he attempted to calm the situation. She turned to leave, and he began to pursue, only for him to be struck by the whip of her tail. Suddenly, she was gone, and he was left with absolutely nothing.

“Aw, Nick,”

He quickly came back to reality, seeing the panther and wolf having a heart-to-heart on a bridge. He looked down to see Judy gazing at him.

“I didn’t know these sort of things made you emotional.”

He blinked away the misty feelings in his eyes, and crossed his arms over his stomach, forcing a shaky smile as he turned away. “Y-yeah, it’s um… a bit of a soft spot.”

“Never let ‘em see that they get to you, huh?”

He shrugged and gritted his teeth.

Judy smiled and shook her head. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone, you big ol’ softie,” she remarked as she leaned into him and patted him on the back.

_**I hate you!** _

Before he realized it, he jumped out of his seat, nearly pushing Judy down as he backed away.

Judy stared at him, her eyes wide, as he pressed himself against the wall. “Nick? What’s wrong?”

He could feel the shaking in his teeth and the stinging in his eyes, so he quickly ran into the bathroom.

“Nick wait!”

He locked the door behind him, then covered his face with his paws as he rested against the wall and slid to the floor. _She can’t see me like this!_ He started taking deep breaths and closed his eyes.

“Nick? Are you okay?” Judy asked with a gentle knock on the door. “I-if that was too far, I’m sorry!”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He gripped the fur atop his head.

“Look, w-we were having a good night before all this! Let’s just forget I did anything, and keep watching the movie, okay?”

“Just stop!” He started to grit his teeth.

“Nick, please come out! I was—”

“Go away!” he shouted, silencing the entire apartment. “Leave me alone!”

For a moment, there was nothing. Nothing but the tiniest whimpers that Nick tried desperately to stifle.

“Okay… I’ll go,” Judy weakly replied. “If you… if you want to talk to me later about this… you can call me at any time.” He could hear her footsteps grow faint as she reached the front door. Then there was another pause. “Goodbye, Nick… I’m sorry.” After that, the door gently opened and shut.

He sat there, staring at the floor as he continued to shudder. That was when it suddenly hit him. He imagined the look on Judy’s face, and realized that he saw himself with that very expression. A fox that only wanted to get his best friend back. A fox bunkered down with the weight of regret. He held his head in his hands. Then he started to see images of Judy flash by in his mind. The smile of hers that lit up the room, that laugh that never failed to put him at ease, and so many other nuances that stuck out to him. _I’m such an idiot_ , he thought as he failed to fight back the water in his eyes, feeling the tears stream down his cheeks.

In an instant, he shot up to his feet, ran out of the bathroom, and made a beeline for the front door, which he quickly opened and shouted, “Judy!” He looked to his left, but didn’t see anyone, so he looked to his right. She stood there, having just turned around, and looked back at him, wide-eyed. He quickly walked towards her, the tears gradually working their way out of his system with each step he took. As soon as he was within distance, he dropped to his knees and embraced Judy as he kept saying, “I’m sorry,” as his body kept shaking.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” she cooed, patting his back while wiping the tears from her own eyes.

“Please don’t go…”

“I won’t. I’ll stay here. I promise.” They stood there for a moment, until she then said, “Let’s go back inside.”

Nick nodded and stood up, silently walking alongside her back into his apartment. He did his best to keep his sniffles to a minimum as he ushered her inside. She turned off the TV, and they then took to opposite sides of the couch, him holding his legs close to his body.

“Are you okay with talking about this?” Judy asked.

He looked into those eyes, seeing nothing but sincere and genuine concern within. “Yeah,” he weakly replied.

“You’re sure?”

He nodded again.

Judy then took a deep breath and sat up straight. “What’s going on, Nick?”

He scratched the back of his head. “These, uh… these past few weeks have been rough.” Nick’s eyes grew wide, and he quickly turned to Judy. “I mean, it’s been rough for you, especially! I’m not taking away from that. I just… I tried to avoid this.”

“What do you mean?”

Nick sniffled and leaned his head back, letting out a shaky breath. “I’ve been down this road before. You— you have a great friend and think, ‘Hey, maybe… maybe dating her wouldn’t be too bad,’ y’know? And for a while, things are great.” He allows himself a small smile. “Better than great; It’s the best time of your life. The two of you just...“ he paused to steady himself. “You feel like you complete each other.”

His smile began to fade. “But then, as the months go on, you start seeing less and less of the same person you fell for. It makes you grow distant, then resentful, then…” He choked up and covered his face with his hands as he shook.

“It’s okay, Nick,” Judy intervened. “I think I get it.”

“It took so long to get over her, Judy. And when you said that you liked me, everything just flashed through my mind… I got scared. I thought it was going to start all over again, so I turned you down.” He rested his head against his hand. “ I thought this would be best for the both of us: keeping the status quo, and no one gets hurt.” He started to chuckle through the tears. “What a joke, I just made everything worse,” he said, balling his hand into a fist. “What I wouldn’t give to be as strong as you, right now,” he said, glancing towards her. “Through all this, you’re still here with me.” Nick looked away. “I bet you’re already over me, anyway.”

There was a hush in the room until Judy said, “I’m not…”

He looked back at her.

“I’m not over you… not even close,” she began, holding herself. “I told myself that if you said no, I’d move on. I… I thought it’d be simple…” Judy grimaced and bowed her head. “But I can’t. I just… can’t.” She started to wipe away the tears at her eyes, which fell faster than she could catch them. “I just get so mad at myself, and… and I want to say something. But then I think it’d make you stop talking to me.” She paused to get some sobs out of her system. “Wh— when I saw how you looked at the Bug Burga, I wanted to say something, but… I thought it would just annoy you.”

Nick moved a little closer to her. “Judy, no. I… I wouldn’t think that. You’ve never been an annoyance to me.” He reached his hand out to her, but shied away. “ I don’t blame you, though. I wasn’t the best at talking to you.”

Judy rubbed her nose. “That’s just life, though. I don’t—”

“No, Judy… it wasn’t.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“I… I was avoiding you, on purpose.” He forced himself to look back at her. The pain in her eyes stabbed him through the chest. “This whole time, I thought that keeping away would be good for you. I couldn’t sleep for weeks, but I told myself that it would be okay. All as long as you didn’t get hurt…” He covered his face, as the tears emerged once more. “But it happened anyway. I hurt you, Judy…”

“N-no, you didn’t hurt me!” Judy cautiously approached. “It was… it was just—”

“Don’t lie to me, Judy,” Nick growled. “You were _shaking_ in my arms. You wanted to make things normal, and I wouldn’t even look at you! I made you think you were a _nuisance!_ I even yelled at you! I’ve been doing nothing _but_ hurt you!” His ears folded back and he sobbed.

For a moment, there was nothing but suffocating silence and the tears of a broken fox. Then Judy took a shaky breath. “Okay… what you said _did_ hurt,” she admitted. “But it’s not like you meant anything harmful by it!” He looked her in the eyes. “You had your reasons… and you didn’t mince words with me. You were as gentle as you could be, given the situation. That’s all I could ever ask for.”

Nick wiped the tears from his eyes. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

She sat closer to him and flashed a smile once more. “Because you’re my best friend, Nick,” she began. “And even if it can’t be more than that, I’m still here for you. For as long as you’ll let me.”

He stared at her, then started to shakily laugh. “We’re both pretty messed up by this, huh?”

“Yeah,” Judy replied, chuckling back. “But I think I’m doing a little better than you.”

“Are you making this a competition, now?"

“Maybe I am.” They both started laughing, leaning back into the couch as tears continued to fall. Once they regained their composure, Judy’s ears drooped, and her smile faded. “Nick, I want to ask you something. And please be honest with me.”

He nodded.

“Are you, at all, attracted to me?"

Nick’s mouth slightly hung open as he stared at Judy, her gaze unwavering. He looked away and weakly replied, “Yes…”

Judy’s eyes widened and her ears perked up. “Then… why…”

With a deep breath, he said, “Like I said, I got scared. I thought of what could happen between us. If we got into a fight and hated each other. If I lost you. I figured… I figured it’d be safer just to do this.” He wiped away the tears, then looked back at her. “I don’t want to lose you, Judy. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“And you’re the best thing that’s happened to me, Nick,” she replied. “That’s why it hurts seeing you like this.” Judy inched herself closer. “Whatever you decide out of this, I just want you to be happy. Can you…” she paused, then slowly turned away and muttered, “No, I can’t.”

“What is it, Judy?”

“I was going to ask something, but… that’s going too far.”

“Go ahead. We’ve already got a lot on the table, as it is.”

Reluctantly, Judy nodded. “This… This is really selfish of me to ask like this, but… Can you say what you’re feeling right now is better than taking a chance with me?”

Nick felt petrified.

She moved slightly closer to him. “I’m scared too, Nick. Anything could happen, and we might not be prepared for it. There are risks, but I’m willing to take that chance… if you are too.”

He started to reflect on the time since Judy’s confession. In the beginning, there was the pain, the listless mornings, the sleepless nights, the neglected friendship, and the growing tinge of regret he felt tugging at his chest. Then, he compared that to his time after speaking to her again. His apartment was clean, and he found more tasks to keep himself preoccupied. Furthermore, work became less of a chore, and he always perked up once his phone chimed and showed that smiling face again. “Even after what I’ve done, you still feel the same?” he asked, looking at her.

“Absolutely. You did it for a good reason, and I could never hate you for that.”

He turned his gaze down to the couch, noticing Judy’s hand, and slowly placed his left hand on top of it.

Her ears shot up, and she quickly looked down at the interaction. She stared for a moment before looking at Nick again. Judy slowly lifted her hand up and stretched it, opening Nick’s hand as to gently press them together. She then slowly tilted her hand to the right, allowing her fingers to grasp his hand; a gesture that he returned. After swallowing the lump in her throat, Judy cautiously moved herself within inches of him, and looked up into his eyes. “Is this what you want?” she asked with the most careful whisper.

He gently moved his free hand up and cupped her cheek, which made her tremble. With the same care, he whispered back, “Yes.”

Judy slowly placed her free hand on Nick’s shoulder, and slowly closed her eyes as she planted her lips on his.

After the initial jolt passed through his body, he moved his hands up onto her back and pulled her closer. Shuddering gasps escaped from the both of them as they planted kiss after kiss.

Judy gripped the back of Nick’s neck for stability, prompting him to growl and gently pick her up and place her on her back. She barely had time to look up with her half-lidded eyes before he moved in again. His hunger was filled with a carnal desire, and yet, it was covered with every gentle touch and mark of affection that he planted. After what seemed like hours, Nick pulled slightly away, panting as he stared into those hypnotizing violet eyes. A smile grew on each other’s faces. Once Judy sat up, she giggled and they embraced each other.

Nick asked, “So we’re really doing this, huh?”

Judy pulled back. “I dunno, unless you just wanna kiss for the heck of it.”

Nick started to laugh, then he choked up as the few remaining tears made their way out.

With a smile, she gave a quick peck on the cheek and lifted her hand to help wipe away his tears. “You don’t need to cry anymore, okay?”

“Same goes to you,” he replied, wiping away the stray tear rolling down her face. He pulled her in for a hug again, gently rubbing her back, and said, “I’m sorry I never said all of this before.”

“It’s not your fault. You were scared, but we can work through that.”

“And I’m sorry for being such an idiot.”

“...You’re forgiven.”

He laughed again. “Ouch, not even going to deny that, huh?”

“I wouldn’t want to _lie_ to you, Nick.”

He pulled back, raising an eyebrow. “Okay, now you’re just being mean.”

She leaned in and said, “I think I’m allowed to now,” as she kissed him once more. This one being short and sweet.

“What do you wanna do next?” Nick asked.

“We could watch the rest of that movie, since you so _desperately_ wanted me to see it.”

He shrugged and let out a slight noise of indifference.

“Or… we could sit here and cuddle while talking about everything.”

“I like that idea better. More time to listen to my… honey bun.”

Judy slowly glared. “That was terrible, and you know it.”

Nick smirked and replied, “You’d better get used to it.”

*********

“So, how do you want to tell the precinct about this?” Nick asked, as he walked with Judy to the outside of the complex.

She raised both of her ears and looked up at him. “We don’t have to, though?”

“It’s better if we do, Judy.”

“Why?”

“Think about it,” he began, pointing to his nose. “Predators have a _very_ good sense of smell. If we start coming into work smelling like each other, the others could talk, rumors could form. It just gets messy, and it’s better to get it out of the way now.”

Judy rubbed her arm. “I guess… I just wanted time to prepare myself for all the questions."

Nick looked down at her with a smile. “You know, Clawhauser’s gonna go _nuts_."

“I’ll say.”

“I can see it now.” He puffed up his cheeks and said, “Oh em goodness, I _knew_ this would happen! I even ordered custom-made donuts just for when this would happen. Let me know when the wedding is, I wanna help plan everything!”

Judy laughed. “He probably would do that, huh?” Once she caught her breath, her face straightened out. “Wait, what about Bogo?”

He raised an eyebrow. “What about him?”

“He’s our boss! This would be a workplace relationship. Does he have an issue with those?”

“What are you ta—” his eyes lit up, and then he chuckled. “Oh, no no no, he wouldn’t have an issue.”

Now Judy raised an eyebrow. “You’re sure?”

With a shrug, Nick put his hands in his pockets and replied, “Well, let’s just say that on more than one occasion, he’s had a lingering scent of donuts on him.”

“Donuts?”

Nick nodded his head.

“What does that…” she turned away, the wheels in her head working until her eyes shot wide open. “Really?”

“Yep.”

“Wow…”

“Basically the whole precinct knows, at this point. He’s just too stubborn to say anything, himself.” As they neared the front door, Judy reached up and gently tugged on Nick’s wrist. He looked down to see her smiling and looking expectantly at him. With a smile of his own, he pulled out his hand and held hers. After a moment of enjoyment, he asked, “Level with me, here. Did you hope any of this was going to happen today?”

Judy peered up to meet his gaze. “No… well, not really. I told myself not to get my hopes up. Just to move on to being friends. But I guess part of me still wanted to believe.”

“And I’m glad it did.” They smiled at each other as Nick pushed open the front door to the complex, becoming tinted by the orange sky. As they stood in the doorway, he began, “Alright, text me as soon as you get home, okay?"

“I will, don’t worry.”

“I’m your boyfriend, I have to worry.” Judy’s face turned red, and Nick’s eyes grew wide. He chuckled and gave an unsure grin. “It feels so weird saying that, but… the good kind of weird, you know?”

“It sounds great when you say it.” They happily stared at each other until Judy said, “Catch me.”

Nick flattened an ear. “Huh?”

“I want to kiss you, but you’re too tall, and I’m not going to make you bend over.”

“Oh…” he grinned and added. “And what if I enjoy bending over?” A dark smile slowly formed on her face, which made him instantly blank. “That totally came out wrong.”

“Maybe. Just catch me.” Nick held out his arms, and Judy started to duck, but then stopped. “And don’t let your hands wander, now,” she added.

“I won’t, don’t worry,” he replied, placing his left hand to his chest. “I’m a fox of a _wholesome_ upbringing, as you’ll find out, in time.”

She shook her head before jumping up high enough to be caught in Nick’s awaiting arms. He pulled her in close, allowing him time to study her complexion, and leaned in for a kiss. After pulling away, they pressed their foreheads together. “I love you, Nick,” she whispered.

“I love you too, Judy.” He embraced her, taking in her scent and feeling her heart beat against his chest. Nick gently lowered her onto the floor, allowing her time to wave before leaving. He leaned against the door, smiling and watching as she headed further away. When she was about to head out of sight, Judy turned back to wave once more. Nick walked back to his apartment, deeply breathing in the air around him. He pressed two fingers to his lips, which made him smile even more. Eventually, he did get that text message, which said, ‘Back home! <3’. They talked briefly through texts until she had to sign off before the morning shift. Later that night, Nick slept soundly.

**Author's Note:**

> And there's my first few steps into the world of Zootopia fanfics. I enjoyed the original comic for what it was, but this idea just wouldn't leave me alone.
> 
> Fun fact, this follow-up comic was released close to the story's completion: http://nicolaswildes.tumblr.com/post/150887711850/whats-the-matter-wilde-you-look-down-is-some  
> Made me feel I was on the right track with this story. Interpretations are fun!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading it!


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